Mobile: The key to enabling and securing digital services

Mobile has played an instrumental role in delivering digital services in Africa and empowering large sectors of its nation’s economies. So, it is only fitting, that mobile technology has also firmly established itself as key to helping secure the digital services it has helped enable.

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2018.11.22

We have seen how digital innovation has caused positive disruption globally and it is clear that it is accelerating across the African continent. Much of the transformation we are seeing has been enabled by mobile technology. And, from what Myriad Connect has seen working in mobile technology in Africa over the last 17 years, it is apparent that Africa is leading the way with mobile innovation at a global level.

African innovators have shown extraordinary ingenuity in how mobile technology has been used to solve problems and improve lives with an Africa-specific focus, without the costly information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure that has been deployed elsewhere. As we see some of the big players adapt to the changing landscape and deliver digital and mobile services, we also see start-ups and entrepreneurs match these efforts and sometimes challenge traditional offerings with the digital services they are making available. As mobile adoption continues to grow, the range of new digital services will grow to deliver value to the expanding audience; which in turn will drive even further mobile adoption.

Securing Digital Services

The explosive growth of mobile across Africa has been instrumental in enabling digital and financial inclusion and helping lift up communities who previously did not have access to a variety of different services. One of the core technologies behind the success of digital services in Africa and other emerging markets is Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) technology.

USSD’s ubiquitous reach and affordability makes it a popular technology for digital services in Africa, but another key benefit of the technology is security. This underpins one of Myriad Connect’s key services, offering authentication and SIM swap detection services for securing financial service transactions on any device. Our technology creates a safe and instant way to verify customer details and check the validity of the person initiating a transaction. Unlike SMS, USSD notifications and menus are not stored on the device, making it safer for securing transactions.

Myriad Connect’s mobile technologies help combat fraud and ensure the delivery of secure digital services. Myriad Connect partners with digital services providers to deliver an integrated service whereby any digital service transaction can be authorised or authenticated in an effective and user-friendly way. Ubiquity is core to the overall success of authorisation or authentication services, which is why Myriad Connect leverages USSD technology to ensure the authenticity of any transaction, no matter what type of mobile device a customer is using or whether they have access to a data connection.

Mobile has played an instrumental role in delivering digital services in Africa and empowering large sectors of its nation’s economies. So, it is only fitting, that mobile technology has also firmly established itself as key to helping secure the digital services it has helped enable.